little of this, little of that...

With all the projects completed that had deadlines, I'm struggling to decide what to do next.  Somehow those deadlines make things happen - even things I didn't expect to be working on!  But there are a lot of little things I'm kinda working on, so I suppose this post can tidy up those details, right?

First up, a big THANK YOU to the folks who have sent me some goodies lately.  In participating in the Hands2Help challenge, where I sent the six baby quilts to Jack's Basket, I qualified for some goodies.  All the participants got something, but when the prize list was published, my name was under a mystery category.  I wasn't sure what I would get, but since I did this for the joy of making quilts, not winning prizes, I figured any quilty-related mail was good mail!

This amazing bundle in a squishy mailer showed up about a week ago.  SO. MUCH. FUN! The pattern looks like something I could even make from scraps for the 2020 season of the quilt drive...  And the little sticker there in the center?  It's already proudly stuck to the front of my sewing machine.  (And I'm already looking forward to earning another next year!)

Also, since my Modern Mini Challenge placed (16th, but hey, that's a place!), I won an assortment of

Thread Cutterz brand goodies.  I had never heard of these before, but this weekend, this lovely box showed up in my mailbox.  It was packaged so prettily, I didn't even want to open it.  But look at all that nifty stuff!  A ring cutter, a stick-to-the-machine cutter, a little pair of funky, fancy snippers on a retracting cord and a little pouch for (I think?) the ring.  Such fun! 

In the sewing room, you've already seen the first quilt top I completed for my Hands2Help 2020 contribution...

...but I neglected to give proper credit for the pattern!  This one is by Confessions of a Fabric Addict, called "Hip to be Square."  It's a free pattern she designed to give us ideas for the challenge and went together super fast.  Her version has borders, mine will not - it's a lack-of-fabric thing!

These were scraps from the Pantone Challenge quilt, but there were still more to use...  I had some long strips and decided to just start cutting and sewing.  I had a plan, but mathed wrong, so the plan got changed as I went.  But...the strips are (mostly) gone and I have two dolly-sized quilt tops!

Nothing terribly fancy, but some little girl will love to wrap her doll in these, right?

I still have a bunch of 2.5" squares I cut from the other remaining scraps that I have to decide what to do with them, but for now I've moved on to another stack of leftovers that was patiently waiting on my cutting table.  It's about time I address these...they're starting to impede my cutting abilities and I need to hold myself accountable for them anyways.

First up?  Leftovers from the baby quilt I made for Jennica.

96 of these bonus half square triangles were patiently waiting for their turn.  I had seen this pattern and thought I could modify it to suit what I have.  So I started trimming these little guys.  2.5" seemed to be a safe size and it didn't take THAT long...

...so pretty, these little trimmings.  It's too bad they're waaaaaay to small to use!

And then I cut some squares from another piece of leftovers.  And then I sewed them up!

They're not too fancy, but this morning I fired up the design floor to see what I could make with these 48 little (4.5" unfinished) blocks.

This is what I decided before we had lunch.  But...it will only finish 24x32" this way and that's just too small for a baby quilt.  And too big for a dolly quilt.

I thought about splitting it in two and making two dolly quilts.  Or adding borders.  Or sashing.

But at lunch, it hit me.  If I make one more, I can have a 7x7 layout.  That makes 28x28".  Add a 2" border all the way around in the background fabric and then another border of 2" (finished) squares for a final border.  And I'll have a 36x36" quilt.  Yes, that will be 68 squares, but I do have a (smallish) stash of squares already cut, so I won't have to cut them all.  And yes, that will take a while to piece, but it will be okay.  I've got time...and this will help procrastinate the next two batches of half square triangles that are staring me down...and the squares from the Pantone quilt...

This layout was helped by Lexie.  She is not usually a pest, but this morning she decided she needed ALL. THE. PETS. and would not stop head-butting me.  She wasn't interested in the quilt blocks, she was interested in the hands that were holding them.  I didn't stop for a photo of that (mostly because she would have vacated the quilt in favor of head-butting whatever part of me was closest to the ground for her), but here's an older Lexie photo for reference...

She's adorable, but man when she wants the love, she's determined!

Speaking of adorable cats...

...this tunnel toy had been put up when vacuuming a while ago and forgotten.  I pulled it down and when he found it the other day, he promptly crawled in, stretched out and fell asleep.  He slept there for hours while I sewed.  This is his new favorite pose - front paws stretched ALL the way out.

And then there's Emma.  She will take the head and chin scratches, sure, but if you give her a lap, you're done.

D.O.N.E.

You better hope you don't have to pee because that adorableness is gonna keep you there for hours.  She is the most persistent, hangry cat I've ever met, but when her belly is full and there's a lap to be had, you fall right back in love with her.

And with that, I believe I've caught you up and I have a quilt layout to redo...

Happy quilting!

Katie